1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the chemical arts. In particular, it relates to polymeric coatings for contact surfaces and methods of coating such surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The handles of hand tools, such as hammers, screw drivers, and hatchets and of sports equipment, such as golf clubs, baseball bats and tennis rackets are generally made of hard materials. Typical of such hard materials are metal, wood and graphite composites.
It is often desirable to improve the grip that one can get on such handles. The better one's grip on a hand tool, the greater one's efficiency and safety and the less likely that one will strain his muscles upon prolonged or repeated use. The better one's grip on sports equipment, the gentler (less tight) one's grip and the less likely one is to tighten and strain his muscles.
It is known to improve one's grip by adding a relatively thick layer of a soft material to a hard handle, for example by wrapping the handle with fabric or leather or encasing the handle in a molded rubber or plastic grip. Among the plastics which can be injection molded to form a grip are styrene/ethylene-butylene/ styrene block copolymer compositions sold by the Shell Chemical Company under the trademark Kraton. Alternatively, it is known to improve ones grip by wearing a glove made of relatively soft material, such as a glove made of fabric, leather, rubber or plastic.
Now, in accordance with the invention, it has been discovered that one's grip is further greatly improved when the contact surface of a handle, grip or a glove is coated with an extremely soft, elastomeric polymer.